CHRISTMAS 2022

[Gerry]

Our favorite vegetable sides we enjoy over the holidays.

#recipe7847

Sweet glazed carrots are a great addition to the holiday table or any time you want to add a special side dish to make for that added touch. This recipe is from my daughters collection and the one her young son choose for the cookbook created and published as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of our local school.



#recipe124

Makes for great tasting vegetables and awesome presentation. You can make these bundles using carrot sticks, green or yellow beans or asparagus spears. This can be a real holiday time saver.
Preparing easy as these can be made ahead the night before or early in the day of your party. Reheat just before serving and serve with a drizzle of butter or your favorite sauce.



#recipe28333

Makes a wonderful vegetable dish that has become a family favorite and makes for a great holiday side.



A young family member makes awesome roasted vegetables for a great vegetable side, not only made with with an unusual root vegetables but are the best roasted vegetables I have ever tasted! Mine tasted great but soon realized her heavy Pampered Chef Roasting Dish took them to a new level. Yes I now have one. I am sure there are similar out there that are equally good. Hopefully I will get to posting it by next Christmas!

What are you making?

[Gerry]

Salads for the holidays. This year availability will decide my choices as it may for many others for the holiday meals. Adding a few recipes that will work well as a salad side.

#recipe7456

While there are many great Caesar Salad recipes out there I have yet to find one I haven't enjoyed - but when family gathers they expect to find their Caesar salad topped with our family favorite. So for my family and anyone who loves salads as much as we do - Cathy's Caesar Dressing.



#recipe2722

We have enjoyed many a cabbage salad and coleslaws, but when it comes to a special gathering this has been our go to for over twenty-five years.



#recipe2201

A great make ahead, a colourful salad with the added bonus that it tastes as good as it looks.



#recipe2546

This old classic from our family cookbook is the Bean Salad served at holiday time and family gatherings.



#recipe2222

These wonderfully flavourful marinated vegetables can be served as an appetiser or a salad. Great any time you are expecting a crowd. A great make ahead that is easily assembled. For special occasions serve in a cut glass bowl - gorgeous! Requires overnight marinating.

#recipe5201

We love homemade dressings, have enjoyed many variations of this old classic but none quite like this old family recipe that went missing. The lost was recently found tucked in an old cookbook, come holidays or special ocassions there is a double batch in my fridge.



What are you making?

[Gerry]

HOLIDAY BREAKFASTS AND BRUNCHES

When we have full house we do a typical Bacon,Sausage, Eggs and Hashbrowns for breakfast on Boxing Day made by the males in the family. Son and grans do it so much better than I do and they see to the clean up! I add the fruit platter as well as a vegetable platter. Its a once a year thing so really enjoyed.

#recipe5197

We were ever so impressed with these eggs served over a holiday weekend. They are not only delicious but make for awesome presentation. Perfect for that special breakfast, great addition to brunch. Next time you have breakfast guests and want to add something special to impress your family and friends, give these eggs a try. I know they really impressed us!



For more egg recipes check Bergy's recipes, Bergy was our weekend queen of eggs and burgers. Come Mondays I and many others looked forward to her morning posts. Her recipes were winners. Thinking of Bergy and remembering.

#recipe2294

These delicious old fashioned English Sausages are prefect holiday breakfasts. If you have overnight guests the aroma alone will have everyone up and waiting for breakfast. Count on compliments when you serve these sausages either linked or in patties and expect recipe requests.



#recipe1973

My grandma always said these were the best waffles ever, and I have to agree! One of the family favorites that is a must make when we gather for special holidays or weekends. These awesome tasting waffles are crisp on the outside, light, moist and tender in the inside and so easy to make.



#recipe2939

This delicious coffee cake great for holidays and weekend overnight guests. Prepare the night before, pop in the oven for breakfast, morning brunch or with mid morning coffee. Your guests will be ever so impressed!



#recipe28363

Another of my favorite make aheads for overnight guests. An easy to put together breakfast dish that is refrigerated and ready to pop in the oven in the morning. Cream Brulee French Toast is a real crowd pleaser and never fails to impress.

#recipe7246

Cinnamon Bun Ring, Cinnamon Bubble Ring or Monkey Bread, by any name baked in a fluted bundt pan makes for an irresistible cinnamon bun in a pan! I have posted this with the original dough, my favorite dough for making this bun ring is my Feather Bread recipe. The aroma wafting throughout the house has everyone anticipating, inverted on a cake plate makes for awesome presentation, tastes so incredibly good.




#recipe7248

Bubble or Monkey bread baked in a bundt pan. Great taste and one that makes for awesome presentation.



#recipe28784

At our house we seem to have a new tradition in the making, come Christmas family weekends Lacy Potato Latkes get star billing for a late breakfast mini brunch. These are great anytime be it late breakfast, lunch or an evening meal.



#recipe2678

This impressive combination of veal, ham and sausage rolled and baked in a parcel was part of a fabulous brunch served by good friends, the recipe shared and has become one of my favorites for both brunch and buffets especially at Christmas. Not only delicious, the lovely slices make for great presentation. Prepare, roll and wrap! Looks professional, your guests will hardly believe you've made it yourself. Expect compliments and recipe requests. Chicken breasts may be used in place of the veal.

What are you making?

[Gerry]

My Breakfast and Brunch post has been a real challenge, guessing all day 'morning fingers' 2 open windows along with a multitude of tabs I ended up doing the last post three times. Was not about to do another edit and lose another post, seeing the mess I did come in and do some editing.

Should there be further editing required it will not be today. It is what it is!!

[Gerry]

HOLIDAY REFRESHMENTS

#recipe2302
A punch that is enjoyed by both young and old alike. This delightful punch was served along with a lovely assortment of fresh fruit at an afternoon function I attended several years back. Much to my surprise this was a recipe I had overlooked in one of our community cookbooks.The unusual combination of ingredients makes for a real winner that tastes as good as it looks. For those special occasions set up a serving station with a lovely white tablecloth along with your favorite punch bowl and glasses - you will have your guests oohing and aahing before they take their first sip.

#recipe3067
Caesar a Canadian drink usually made with Clamato juice along with an added celery stick a green bean and such. It's an easy to prepare cocktail with great visual appeal and suburb flavor.



#recipe3030

Hosting a party, want something special? Give this make ahead recipe ago. Caesars are very pitcher friendly, the perfect way to serve your guests and allow you time to enjoy the party. A great make ahead for the holidays and all special occasions.



#recipe11420

An elegant sparkling champagne cocktail with dancing pomegranate seeds that is great for the holidays and special occasions that can be made with champagne, sparkling wine or soda. Have wowed many a guests since first serving this festive Canadian Living cocktail back in 2000. You may use your favorite sparking wine. Have found if I do not happen to have pomegranate juice cranberry juice works equally well. For the non wine drinkers use a sparking soda such as 7 Up, add the juice, the pomegranate seeds and enjoy. Wine or soda either or - it will wow your guests!

At this point I surprisingly found the pomegranate but have nothing in the refreshment department on hand. Someone needs a bit of a shop before the holidays!

#recipe11391

Lovecooken's recipe for Baily's Irish Cream is an absolute winner. It's smooth, creamy and delicious and enjoyed during the holidays.

#recipe31434

Until a years ago I had never met a Rusty Nail, a classic old fashioned cocktail a slow sipper that can be served in an old-fashioned glass or in a stemmed cocktail glass served over ice or neat. Drambuie is a blend of several different Scotch whiskeys infused with honey and isn’t cheap but one Rusty Nail slowly sipped on special occasions suffices! Makes for an extra special aperitif or served as an evening drink.

As a point of interest Drambuie became the first liqueur stocked in the House of Lords, and later made it all the way to the cellars of Buckingham. I make mine 1 ounce of each.

What are you making?

[Gerry]

We are still in the deep freeze with wind chills once again dipping to minus 46 tonight, I don't know how cold it did get last night but it was still minus 46 at nine thirty this morning. I was not expecting family to be traveling in this weather so imagine how surprised I was when son walked in the door this afternoon! How good to have both children home for Christmas.

Plans have changed with daughter making the Christmas meal and I will do New Years day. I need to wrap a few gifts this evening and get an early start in the morning to enjoy family time. Beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

For my make and takes I am doing fresh bread and appetizers. A few of the givens #recipe127, #recipe2543, and #recipe20938. For my shrimp lovers there will be shrimp undecided as to which recipe I will go with.

Tonight I will be making my #recipe1960

Love homemade Potpourri especially Christmas, the fresh aroma that entices and makes your home feel warm and inviting.



While it has been a touch lonely here at our Christmas Forum I have had one lot of fun going through holiday recipes and happy knowing come next Christmas the recipes are organized and just a click away.

The recipes here are from my Holiday Cookbook, I was hoping to see members join in and share some of their special recipes. Speaking of recipes I enjoyed Pepper Shrimp this past week, it was wonderfully seasoned and peppery in a clear sauce. Have been doing some online gleaning to make it during holiday week. Anyone?

What are you making.

[Gerry]

The 'Alberta Clipper' saw to a Red Alert just as the days of major Severe Cold Alerts were lifted, it did not wait til morning, up at two saw to a full fledged storm of almost a whiteout of snow and blowing snow. Yesterday's clearing of walkways filled with drifts, no idea as to what to expect as to weather, may see our gathering cancelled as it is for many others in our area.